101–110 of 359 posts
* USAFactsSummary2017.pdf (7.1Mb) https://mega.nz/#!U7ZDHDhb!YXaC9K5U9DG9xjQXdhGGA6PuHE6fT9szh...
* USAFactsReport2017.pdf (48.7Mb) https://mega.nz/#!cupD1DRK!xFIfFl7fbx4XTpifCDhCM-wh7BQps11NO...
* USAFacts_10-K_2017.pdf (0.8Mb) https://mega.nz/#!MyBDXKwJ!mYxTgNJG33Yy0u9m2X4RyfADcKNczRKS_...
"USAFacts was inspired by a conversation Steve Ballmer had with his wife. She wanted him to get more involved in philanthropic work. He thought it made sense to first find out what government does with the money it raises." Had anyone made the comic strip version? Wife: it breaks my heart to hear about the many suffering Americans. We can't take our money with us when we die, let's help our fellow Americans? Steve: t…
Wife: These kids in rural Alabama could really use some food Steve: Did you know school teachers are one of the largest groups of federal employees?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
You mean people are more likely to die in census years? I mean, it could be true, but I'm not willing to bet on it. [edit] So I went and put "why is death rate higher in census years?" into the google search bar, and the first result is "Causes of Death - Census". I didn't actually click on the link to find out, but that title certainly sounds like the census kills people. So maybe you're right. :)
I think it's just that the intermediary years are estimations and the chart isn't compensated. The estimates are just bad and not adjusted historically. Doesn't make the chart bad... just makes the data a little wonky.
There was (probably still is, despite the fact that it seems to be a lost cause) a movement to use the better methods for all purposes, but given that it would be a constitutional change and the errors benefit the already politically powerful, there is pretty much no chance of it happening any time in the foreseeable future.
OTOH, I don't know ow that that actually has anything to do with the chart at issue: there is no information on sources or methodology, just "sources of this data are coming soon". If you don't have the sources ready to cite, you have no business publishing visualizations of the supposed data.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't think this comment is particularly helpful. Sure there different ways to slice and dice this but the data set was previously unavailable anywhere . Let's just be happy that you can get some of this information today without having to drive around scanning paper documents.
I don't think it is helpful because there is no indication that they tried to pass their 'recommendations' to the people behind this site. It reads like an ad for a competing site.
Before anyone goes putting a ton of trust in these charts... Compare the following: http://usafacts.org/metrics/31815 vs http://usafacts.org/metrics/12966 In the second chart half a million more people decide to die every 10th year? ( imgur link to screenshots in case the links don't work: http://imgur.com/a/tY02j )
My second takeaway at a glance is the giant problem that is Social Security. It's been said over and over, and the aggregation of more data into charts comes to the same conclusion. The way Social Security works is not sustainable. Period. Something has to give. A $405 B shortfall on SS in 2015. If that was at least half, we would actually not be running a deficit. We would have a budget surplus if we actually made Social Security/other Gov. retirement program replacement actually sustain itself perpetually. What. A. Concept.
A quick third take away seems to be the unprecedented rise in non-cash government aid (food stamps) during the Obama administration. The data is there, needs more analyzing of course.
Lastly, it seems that Government revenue for Federal and State/Local has actually increased pretty linearly with the population. Despite all the different changes in the income tax rate/other progressive taxes. This supports an overhaul to the tax code to a more simple, flat tax system. From another data source outside this report, I'd have to find it, but historically, no matter the top bracket tax rate, the Federal government collects about 15-17 % income tax. Including when the top rate was 90%+.
As far as the presentation, my favorite part is each piece of government data is tied to 4 distinct duties of government outlined in the Constitution. That's pretty brilliant.
It looks like they missed San Francisco's Payroll Expense tax http://sftreasurer.org/2016-gross-receipts-tax-payroll-expen...
Maybe I am misunderstanding how this tax works though.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
For those prone to confirmation bias, commentary and interpretation of data can be counterproductive. The fact that Ballmer is purposefully not setting an agenda makes this more powerful. Otherwise people tend to accumulate their own set of convenient facts.
> The fact that Ballmer is purposefully not setting an agenda makes this more powerful. Yes, I agree. > Otherwise people tend to accumulate their own set of convenient facts. I think people will do this anyway...are we not human?
>I think people will do this anyway...are we not human?
Be careful with this sentiment. It is defeatist cynicism masquerading as self-deprecation. As such it undermines the truly well-meaning among us, conflating their intellectual humility with another's willful ignorance.
The site claims that 100% of payroll taxes are Federal. It looks like they missed San Francisco's Payroll Expense tax http://sftreasurer.org/2016-gross-receipts-tax-payroll-expen... Maybe I am misunderstanding how this tax works though.